Comments on: Philly Cops Fired After Videotaped Beating

Police Department Says 4 Officers Will Be Fired, 4 Others Disciplined For Roles In Incident

[veteran72]

Very very unlikely. First of all, I would never shoot or harm anyone. Second of all, if I did become the victim of mistaken identity by a cop, I would pull over and cooperate completely.
These a''''holes were murdering scum. I don''''t blame those cops at all.


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Posted by mortal3 at 05:29 PM : May 19, 2008
+ report abuse

Can I borrow your Crystal ball for a while???
I need Wed''s Powerball numbers, then you can go back to seeing who''s guilty and innocent.....LOL....

[soshljustic]

Hi bobnjersey! Not unless they thought they dumped the weapons first or somewhere along the path before the car stopped. Yes your right it does not give the officers the right to wail away on the boys, and being a similar victim of police brutality I know firsthand the look in the eye of a couple of officers in process. So Zimbardo its frightening. You cannot reason with this human in that state of mind on their turf. It is purly power and control and part of the human condition which is inherent in the human animal!

[soshljustic]

Unfortunately, it is never a matter of just needing to obey laws then a person wont have problems with the police. Blatently untrue, because police are people too. Power and control issues abound in society and often reside behind badges, uniforms, offices, and print options. The issue is far more complex than simply obeying the law. If only it were so black and white, things would be far easier.

[bobnjersey]

[... They are simple murdering thugs! Why does anyone care how they were treated?]
[Posted by mortal3 at 05:25 PM : May 19, 2008]

watch the video again ... cops going right up to the doors of the car and removing the ''murdering thugs'' that were just shooting out the window?

i don''t think so!

[jumkey]

"but this was outrageous and a sign of no control on the part of the cops."

Posted by vitajay85

What? Cops should be subject to the same laws and rules that we''re held to? Are you suggesting that the rules should apply to EVERYONE equally, even police officers?

What country do you live in?

The law shouldn''t apply if you are rich or white or a police officer or any authority figure. And it especially shouldn''t apply if there is no videotape of a crime being committed.

[bobnjersey]

[... were the youths involved in the shooting just previous to the pull-over? If so, that explains the high intensity and anxiety of the responding officers to a vehicle of armed and murderous youths]
[Posted by soshljustic at 05:02 PM : May 19, 2008]

nobody has all the info from the content of these stories and the video ... but ... would a police officer approach a car full of suspects that they believed had firearms?

if you look at the video ... they go right up and open the doors ... pull the guys out ... and start kicking them.

[it_oldtimer]

I just have to shake my head in wonder at the pro-police comments posted here.

Those of you supporting these cops actions would be singing an entirely different tune if YOU had been the ones being beaten on that video -- and the sad fact is that it COULD happen to anybody, for any reason, at any time. Cops go after the wrong person, or anybody that just happens to match the general description of who they''re out to beat, all the time.

If you don''t think it could happen to you, even though you have done nothing at all wrong, then you really are naive.

To the cops reading this: just remember - you can NEVER know for sure who''s watching you and videotaping you, and everything you do! Act accordingly...

[jumkey]

Guess What. Obey the Laws and you won''''t have problems with the Philadelphia Police.

Posted by redlipsahead

You''re right. I hope those now ex-cops and every other cop who feels they can break the law with impunity will take your advice.

[vitajay85]

Some of you wouldn''t be talking this way about these guys deserving a beating from the cops IF they were white! Get real! I''m not making an excuse for any wrongdoing of criminals, but this was NOT right! There were MORE cops than criminals on this scene. I know the upset because of the cop being murdered, but this was outrageous and a sign of no control on the part of the cops.

[redlipsahead]

Guess What. Obey the Laws and you won''t have problems with the Philadelphia Police.

[love4all2]

while some of the comments on here are down right stupid. some people make some sense. We have laws that we live by daily and these guys were just involved in a shooting. I think the cops over reacted and used excessive force. however if the guys in the car did not obey commands i can see why they would have yanked them out but beating them thats another story. I can also clearly see why they fired the officers because they dont want a riot on their hands. A riot it not fun. mandatory curfew is not fun. watching a town be so divided and having good long standing business burned and looted. this is why they fired the cops. LA was a horrible place to live after Rodney King. That idiot did not obey one command because he was on a crack high. He was beat to the ground. This town was crazy. anyone living in LA county was on a madatory curfew and business were being burned and looted it was awful so i can understand why PA is doing what it is doing.

[it_oldtimer]

It looks to me like the police officers involved in this public outrage were very clearly the only "criminal thugs" caught on that video.

This actually happens all the time, all over this country; it''s just too seldom documented on videotape this way, that''s all. Thankfully, that''s changing very rapidly now that almost everybody carries a little video camera built-in to their cell phones.

I have no pity whatsoever for police thugs like those caught on the video. I hope they all face professional delicensure and both civil and criminal prosecution to the full extent of the law for their totally inexcusable behavior.

Apparently only we citizens have the power (or the will) to bring about the necessary changes to police behavior, by capturing and publicizing any and all of these incidents on-camera.

[soshljustic]

Since fact finding must still occur, were the youths involved in the shooting just previous to the pull-over? If so, that explains the high intensity and anxiety of the responding officers to a vehicle of armed and murderous youths, however, if not armed and murderous there exists no explanation for the high anxiety and intesity of the pull-over. The firing is simple social appeasement to reduce social tension but does not resolve many other questions which remain, and after those questions are answered, what of the appropraite litigation? Either Jail and charge the youths or jail and charge the officers with assault/assault with weapon(baton) as would occur in john Q public without a uniform on. The law is clear in that it is designed to protect citizens from an angry and over-anxiously armed government funded and supported militia. Citizens have the right to be free of such a tsarist militia regardless of personal fear and angst. Instead being that May is Mental Health awareness month and philly cops may be stressed or suffering latent PTSD which would precipitate such behavior, have the philly department get some neuro-psych testing and bench the cops at risk. This simple proactive measure may assist all police forces, since a psych eval is usually required for hire, ongoing evals make sense for this high stress job/career.

[cactuscat2]

Good for the cops. They should not be fired. The television helicopter should mind their own *** business and stop trying to capture things on tape, which they only give their side of the story. Those cops had to chase those punk suspects that would not pull over.. by the way the suspects were involved in a shooting. I would have beat them up to....no matter what color, creed or national origin. They do not need a lawyer, they need to learn to make a living by not pulling guns out on folks. Helloooooooooo.

[bobnjersey]

[3 murderers get pulled out of a car and get beaten. Where exactly IS the problem here? ]
[Posted by jboxton at 03:22 PM : May 19, 2008]

so you can tell they''re murderers from 30 seconds of a news helicopter camera?

then why did they even bother to go near the car ... they could have stood at a distance and done a sean bell on them ... unload all their available rounds into the car ... like bonnie and clyde.

[bobnjersey]

[I''''m gonna give you some good info... You want to saty out of jail or not get a beaten... DON"T BREAK THE LAW.]
[Posted by guyfrompa45 at 04:01 PM : May 19, 2008]

the juris prudence in this country is innocent until proven guilty ... although it''s getting harder and harder to tell that each day. these ''suspects'' have not been found guilty ... and it''s not within the rights of the officers to make that determination.

[credibility2]

It''s never right for law enforcement to over-react. However, when criminals flee, are suspects to a crime just having been committed and who refuse to honor, respect and heed officers warnings and for doing their job, one can see why something like this occurs and the fact that this came on the heels of an officer being murdered just added fuel to the fire. I feel more sorry for the police officers than I do for these criminal thugs. The police were the ones victimized in this situation.

[love4all2]

also the guys in the car gave them a reason to yank them out and beat them. probably did not obey commands

[bigtaco10]

ICI2I, what is wrong with you left wing idiots. Is your brain so withered that you can''''t talk about anything without blaming Cheney or Bush.
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It''s still their fault! No one else to blame...nothing to see, here!

[jboxton]

That video gave me a warm and happy feeling deep in my heart. Good for those cops!